Finding New Audiences for Established Brands

Does your brand need a new audience? Before you can determine that, make sure you’ve exhausted your current core customers. You may not be getting as much out of them as you think you are. If you are, then it’s time to turn your attention to new segments.

Finding new audiences for existing brands isn’t the same as finding net new customers for a new product or brand launch. Brands first need to ask and answer a few questions:

Are you sure you need new audiences for your existing brand?
Many clients think this when they haven’t yet tapped out their current core customers, which is telling. It means they haven’t built a strategy that maximizes what they have—or they’re shy about pushing the envelope when it comes to the hidden opportunities. Make sure you’re giving a lot of thought to how you are (or are not) maxing out a reasonable share of your current audience. That means looking at your sales data and your target audience research, and determining how you can get more ‘look-alike’ audiences.

You can also target your audience a different way to get the same results. To accomplish this, focus your attention on different marketing channels and use different strategies such as influencer marketing. Getting brand ambassadors to promote your brand or product is an effective way to break into an entirely new segment—and quite effective.

Okay, now you really need a new audience.
You’ve done all of your homework and examined your data. And the results say you do need new audiences. Okay, what’s next? Define your strategy by figuring out what your next customer looks like and whether they’re a fit for your product.

Think of concentric circles, because you’re branching out but your center—your product—is the common factor tying your search together. Your new audience is often slightly different than your core.

Once you’ve figured out your new audiences, think about…

Who brought you here?
Be careful your new audience doesn’t alienate your current audience. Be mindful of who brought you to the dance and made your brand successful in the first place.

With all of this information in hand, now it’s time to construct your new audience. New audiences should follow a logical build:

Based on your core brand message

Logical to your sales and demographics strategies

Won’t alienate your current core

Your message should always be front and center for your audience to easily grasp. It should also be an easy sell for your sales team. Your new audience should easily fit under the same strategy umbrella you use for your current audience. Speaking of your current core, be sure your new audience doesn’t alienate them. Don’t assume everyone will coalesce into this happy group. Maintain your focus on keeping the ones who made you successful, happy.

For example: If you’re a hard-core outdoor brand should you consider selling to moms at Nordstrom? That is potentially troublesome strategy. Your brand likely won’t be as cool to your core anymore because you’re reaching for the shiny new object at the expense of the reliable toy.

This is the tricky part. If you’re a fast food brand – how can you keep your teen super heavy-users when you attract seniors for your slow dayparts?

Hydrogen Advertising excels at finding new audiences for clients, while maintaining relationships built with current audiences. It’s a slippery slope to be sure, but one easily maintained by our focus on data, and our logical strategies for each brand.